Local Plan Landscape Character Assessment

Poole’s ‘Fringe’ Landscape Character Areas

November 2017

Contents

1. Introduction...... 3

2. Landscape Character Areas ...... 4 and Holes Bay ...... 4 Upton Park and Farmland ...... 5 Corfe Hills Heath ...... 5 ...... 5 North Poole Heath/Farm Fringe ...... 6 Merley/Canford River Terrace ...... 7 Lower Stour Valley ...... 7 Poole Bay Cliffs ...... 8 Upton/Lytchett Bay Marsh ...... 9

Appendix 1: Landscape Character Areas ...... 10

Appendix 2: Poole Bay Cliffs ...... 11

Poole Local Plan. Landscape Character Assessment.. November 2017 2 1. Introduction

1. Landscape Character is defined as ‘a distinct, recognisable and consistent pattern of elements in the landscape that makes one landscape different from another, rather than better or worse’.

2. A Landscape Character Areas’ key characteristics are those aspects of character which give an area its distinct sense of place. It can include key features of importance, which are those elements of the landscape of particular prominence or those which catch the eye.

3. If the key characteristics which are identified were to change or be lost there would be significant consequences for the current character of the landscape. These would usually be negative but sometimes positive where some characteristics currently have a negative influence on the character (e.g. the effects of a busy road corridor).

4. Key characteristics should therefore be the prime targets for monitoring change and for identifying landscape indicators.

Poole Local Plan. Landscape Character Assessment.. November 2017 3 2. Landscape Character Areas

5. Work on the Landscape Character Assessment (2007) provided the basis for identifying the character areas, some of which fall within Poole. These are shown on the maps in Appendix 1 and 2 and described below:

Poole Harbour and Holes Bay

Key Characteristics

 A distinctive maritime harbour side landscape of open water, mud flats, marsh and reed beds in association with urban edges.

 A large proportion is designated as SSSI for its bio-diversity interest but it is also important for its landscape, open space and recreational value.

 Open and expansive views to Brownsea, other harbour islands and the Purbecks are afforded from many locations.

 An important mix of tree and other vegetation cover which combines with and helps integrate the hard urban edges.

 Key features: Peninsular: The existing tree and other vegetation cover is an important part of the character of the peninsular.

Ham Common: An important recreational, open space and bio-diversity resource with a similar character to the heathland landscape to the west and south across the Wareham channel. The control of development around the site is key to the retention of its character.

Holes Bay: Distinctive mixed character shoreline with small areas of woodland and an increasingly dominant urban fringe to the south. It has an important value as public open space and access to the waterside and provides an important 'green link' to Upton Heath via the Upton Park and Farmland character area.

Evening Hill: An important area of open space with key tree and other vegetation cover and expansive views over the harbour and beyond.

The Harbour Entrance: The unique geographical, visual and historic combination of the south east corner of Brownsea Island, Branksea Castle, the south western end of the Sandbanks Peninsula and the chain ferry crossing create a key feature of importance in this part of the character area. It is one of the most distinctive entrance points to Poole and focal point along the coastline.

Poole Local Plan. Landscape Character Assessment.. November 2017 4 Upton Park and Farmland

Key Characteristics

 Designed country house Parkland landscape with small woods, farmland, distinctive individual parkland trees and a mix of ornamental and native plantations.

 An important area of public open space which links the shoreline of Holes Bay through to Upton Heath and acts as a buffer between the built up areas of Upton and Creekmoor.

 Remnant areas of farmland on the fringes provide an important open undeveloped context for the adjoining urban areas which have the potential to be enhanced, for example by structural planting.

 Upton Country Park is a key recreational landscape feature for Poole.

 The A35 bisects the area creating a negative visual and audible impact

Corfe Hills Heath

Key Characteristics

 An elevated and undulating area of heathland, scrub and woodland which creates a patchwork landscape.

 Open expansive views from elevated areas.

 An important area of bio-diversity, landscape and informal recreational value.

 Much of the area is designated SSSI and SNCI.

 It links to the Canford Heath character area via Delph Woods along its eastern boundary but physically separated by the existing road network.

 It merges with the River Terrace character area to the north and has a less distinctive heath/farm fringe than the Canford Heath character area.

 The area is dominated by golf course use.

Canford Heath

Key Characteristics

 A distinctive elevated open heathland landscape with characteristic wooded sloped edges and a more open and exposed feel than the Corfe Hills heathland.

 An important area of bio-diversity landscape and informal recreational value.

 Much of the area is designated SSSI.

 There are important open views from the elevated areas of the heath across Poole to the Purbeck Hills.

Poole Local Plan. Landscape Character Assessment.. November 2017 5  Hard urban edges detract from character in places.

 The northern fringes of the area merge into the heath/farm fringe character area to the north.

 Whites Pit Landfill is a key detracting feature.

North Poole Heath/Farm Fringe

Key Characteristics

 A transitional area between the acidic heathland to the south and the alluvial river valley pastures of the Stour Valley to the north.

 An undulating and varied landscape of marginal farmland areas with inter-connected copses and typical urban fringe land uses such as ‘horseyculture’ dominating. Acidic plants (gorse and bracken) and birch regeneration in field corners provides evidence of the sandy soil substrate and marginal management.

 Open fields framed by trees/wooded areas and hedgerows provide a distinctive rural feel in places.

 Views over the Stour Valley to the north from elevated areas.

 A distinctive set of south-north small stream valleys drains the area into the Stour Valley.

 Hard urban edges to the settlement and pylons detract from character around the fringes of the area.

 Large parts of the area are dominated by large scale recreation/commercial development which detracts from rural characteristics.

 Aarrowsmith Road is a key feature of the area with a distinctive settlement pattern of large houses set in mature and large gardens.

 Delph Woods is also a key feature in the western part of the area severed by Gravel Hill.

 There is a gradual transition into more 'typical' farmland landscape to the north east of the area towards the Stour Valley pastures.

Poole Local Plan. Landscape Character Assessment.. November 2017 6 Merley/Canford River Terrace

Key Characteristics

 River Terrace gravel landscape which acts as a transition between the heathland and heath/farm character areas and the river valley pastures to the north.

 A distinctive rural farmland character with small scale hedge lined fields in places.

 Important groups of interconnected trees, copses and tall mature hedgerows which frame horizons and vistas in places. Several of the woodlands are designated SNCI.

 Distinctive folds in the landscape create an intimate rural feel in places, for example around Ashington.

 Important remnant rural features are still evident and add to character such as roadside ditches, ‘soft’ highway edges and verges, the use of locally distinctive materials often associated with the existing retained Lady Wimborne Cottages.

 Dominated by golf course use in the north of the character area.

 Canford Park and the school are key features of the character area.

Lower Stour Valley

Key Characteristics

 A relatively small area on the fringes of the Borough being a flat open landscape forming part of the Stour Valley floodplains.

 It merges to the west with the Mid Stour Valley character area.

 Dominated by golf course along the riverside corridor.

 The meandering course of the River Stour corridor is lined with important groups of mature willows and alders and other marginal and reed vegetation.

 The eastern side of the area is more intensively arable than pastoral farming with medium sized fields sub-divided by thin straight hedgerows with the occasional hedgerow tree and important free standing mature trees.

 Merges with the River Terrace character area to the south.

 There is a small area of pastoral farmland in the north of the area associated with Canford Park.

 The tree lined path link to Little Canford with its distinctive gated entrance feature near the pedestrian river crossing is a key feature in this area.

Poole Local Plan. Landscape Character Assessment.. November 2017 7 Poole Bay Cliffs

Description of Character Area and Key Characteristics

 A long sweep of south facing low sandstone and clay cliffs which form the edge to Poole Bay, running from Chaddesley Glen in Poole to Dalmeny Road in Southbourne.

 It is heavily influenced and impacted upon by urban development in Poole and .

 Much of the area is designated as either SSSI or SNCI for its nature conservation and geological importance and value.

 The cliffs support a mixed vegetation cover with Pine and Holm Oak being the main tree species with grassland, heathland and in places some dune like vegetation all being important. There are also intermittent patches of poplar, sycamore and tamarix.

 The cliffs have a previous history of mineral extraction for "copperas"; an alum type sulphate which gave Alum Chine its name.

 The steep sloping sides have an almost continuous vegetation cover and are inaccessible.

 There are some distinctive vertical outcrops of sandstone eg west of Branksome Chine which are key features and have been important in the past for plant fossil finds.

 It is defined along the foot of the slope by a continuous length of promenade and seawall built at the beginning of the 19th Century with distinctive lengths of beach huts.

 There are open, expansive and unbroken views from many cliff top locations along the coast and to distant local landmarks such as Old Harry's Rocks, The Purbeck Hills, The and The Needles.

 There are many areas of open cliff top grassland which form key areas of public open space, many acting as "buffers" between the cliffs and settlement edges. The more expansive undulating areas of cliff top informal grassland to the east of Bournemouth Pier (along Boscombe Overcliff Drive) form an important continuous area of public open space with distinctive fringing areas of Pine and Holm Oak. These contrast with the more formally managed areas of grassland and are also important habitats.

 The wooded Chines and key local features of importance which create distinctive breaks in the sweep of the cliff line. They are old stream valleys which have cut through the sandstones and clays and are important as landscape features, for nature conservation and recreational value. There are eight main chines; Flaghead Chine, Chine, Branksome Chine, Branksome Dene Chine, Alum Chine, Middle Chine, Durley Chine and Boscombe Chine. There are many small grassed and planted areas associated with the fringes of the Chines which are important open spaces located on the flat areas before the Chines slope steeply down to the floor of the valley.

Poole Local Plan. Landscape Character Assessment.. November 2017 8  There are many belts of wind swept wood and scrub vegetation along the cliff top areas dominated by Pine and Holm Oak many which were planted in the late 1900's. Pinecliff Gardens in Canford Cliffs is a large example of these key features and an important area of cliff top wooded public open space incorporating a mix of Sweet Chestnut, Pine, Holm Oak, Birch, Sycamore, Field Maple, Oak and Holly.

 The eastern side of the character area is more exposed, less tree/scrub covered and therefore has a less "natural" feel than the western side. This helps to create a change in character along the cliff line. The western side has more tree cover with a taller shrub layer typically of gorse, bracken and several introduced non native species which compete with native species. The Pines and Holm Oak along the cliff top to the west help to integrate and "soften" development despite its proximity to the cliff edge in all but a few locations where the latest developments are becoming more visible.

 There is a distinctive variation in development and road pattern to the west and east of Bournemouth Pier. To the east the settlement and road pattern is largely set back from the cliff tops with wide areas of grassland forming an important ‘buffer’ and open space. A section of cliff top development breaks this continuity of open space at Southbourne as does some intermittent development east towards Hengistbury Head as the cliffs gradually dip towards the Head. These areas of development do detract from the continuity of the open space and the long, expansive and uninterrupted views. To the west of Bournemouth Pier development is often close to the cliff edge with narrower areas of cliff top grassland sites and the roads characteristically "loop" around the heads of the Chines in distinctive meanders.

 There are several manmade structures which impact on the continuity of the cliff faces themselves such as zigzag paths, beech access paths, lifts near Bournemouth and in particular an access road and car park at Southbourne. Other manmade built features are generally inconspicuous and don't detract from overall character such as the cliff top fence and the distinctive flat topped shelters.

Upton/Lytchett Bay Marsh

Description of Character Area and Key Characteristics

 A small part of the wider character area to the west forming a flat expanse of reedbed, marsh, tidal mudflats and marginal vegetation.

 Open, undeveloped, windswept and an important area for informal recreation on the edge of the urban area at Turlin Moor.

 Incised and meandering shoreline.

 A distinct landward margin or edge to the adjacent playing fields/ recreation ground.

 Important belts of trees/hedgerow extend south onto the playing fields/ recreation ground from the area.

 Important scrub woodland/rough grass habitat, to the east especially, which acts as an important ‘buffer’ to the built up areas.

 Hard and distinctive urban edges to the west and east of the area with housing hard up against the shoreline vegetation.

Poole Local Plan. Landscape Character Assessment.. November 2017 9 Appendix 1: Landscape Character Areas

Poole Local Plan. Landscape Character Assessment.. November 2017 10 Appendix 2: Poole Bay Cliffs

Poole Local Plan. Landscape Character Assessment.. November 2017 11

Poole Local Plan

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